Thursday, June 28, 2007

I am still having a very difficult time trying to come to terms with what has happened.

I am still having a very difficult time trying to understand how a man I respected, a man who I looked up to, a man who I looked forward to watching every single week, and a man who avoided the temptations that go with being a celebrity, could commit such a heinous act.

It still feels like a bad dream - Chris Benoit, his wife and his son are dead. Chris Benoit asphyxiated his wife and son, and then committed suicide. I am trying as hard as I can to separate the performer from the man who committed the murders.

Right now, I have a picture of Benoit as my Facebook photo. My Facebook status and MSN name also mention Benoit and his family. However, I want you to know that I am only paying homage to Benoit's wrestling career. My tribute, in no way, relates to the awful violence that has taken place.

Chris Benoit was one of the best technical wrestlers of all time. When he stepped into the ring, you knew you were about to witness a quality match. There are a lot of wrestlers who only have one style of wrestling. For example, John Cena uses a "street fighter" style, Rey Mysterio uses a lot of acrobatics, and CM Punk tends to use a martial arts style. Chris Benoit, on the other hand, had many styles. He took it upon himself to learn as many different techniques as he could. He did this by wrestling all over the world. He fought in Japan, Mexico, Germany, the United States, and Canada. It didn't matter whether he wrestled someone as technically sound like Kurt Angle, or someone who was slow and sluggish like The Big Show, Benoit could always get a great match out of anyone.

Benoit was one of a very select bunch that perfected his craft. He didn't care for all the glamour that came with being a star in the major wrestling organizations. All he cared about was his art and being the best artist in the business. Benoit worked really hard and certainly archived this.

Wrestling fans recognized Benoit's dedication and would always show their respect and appreciation by applauding, or booing if he was the "bad guy." Sure, he was not a great talker and he wasn't an attractive man either. Nevertheless, the fans understood his desire and rewarded him appropriately.

Benoit won many great matches and countless titles. In my opinion, his greatest accomplishment occurred on March 14, 2004, when he took part in the main event of Wrestlemania 20. It was a grueling and dramatic match. Benoit defeated Triple H and Shawn Michaels to win the prestigious World Heavyweight Championship. It was a huge milestone in his career. After the match, Benoit's good friend Eddie Guerrero, who was the WWE Heavyweight Champion at the time, came into the ring and the two embraced and celebrated. This celebration has become one of the most famous images in WWE history. What's really sad is that within three years, both men would be dead. No one could have expected that.

Regardless of whether it was deliberate or a case of "roid rage," Chris Benoit committed a horrible and cowardly act. Some may say it's unforgivable. He deserves to be condemned for it. However, any form of condemnation should be for his actions and not for what he did inside a wrestling ring. When one thinks of Chris Benoit, there must be a division between the wrestler and the man who took away two innocent lives.

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Investigators are reporting that Benoit strangled his wife and smothered his son. The murders took place between Friday night and Saturday afternoon. On Saturday, Benoit informed WWE that he would be unable to compete at a live event later that day, as well as Sunday's PPV. Somewhere between Sunday night and Monday morning, Benoit sent a "curious" text message to Chavo Guerrero. Benoit then allegedly hung himself. When Chavo received the message, he informed WWE, who asked the Atlanta police to check on Benoit. Police discovered the bodies Monday afternoon, around 2:30pm.

The following question remains: What possessed Benoit to do this?

When police were searching his home, they found anabolic steroids that had been prescribed to Benoit. It is possible that Benoit had an episode of "roid rage." This condition is described as a combination of depression and aggressive anger. It occurs when a person takes a heavy dosage. I want to state that this is just SPECULATION and no conclusion should be drawn from this.

Given the circumstances, WWE is distancing themselves from Benoit, which is understandable and was expected.

Thursday, June 21, 2007

We're all aware of Tom Green's unique sense of humor. However, one of Green's talents that tends to go unnoticed is his hip hop rhyming skills. For a guy from the suburbs (Orleans to be exact), he can hold his own. I've seen him freestyle with a couple of artists and he's pretty good.

Thursday, June 14, 2007

I have nothing against the city. It's a nice place with a rich history and some of the most passionate football fans in this country. However, it would be wrong for the Nashville Predators to move to a city that does not even support their current professional hockey team.

This year, the American Hockey League's Hamilton Bulldogs averaged only 4900 fans at each home game. The arena, Copps Coliseum, can hold up to 19,000 fans. 4900 out of 19,000? That is horrendous.

The Bulldogs aren't even a bad hockey team. They won the league championship last week. To make matters worse, the final game of the AHL's Calder Cup, which was played in Hamilton, had a paid attendance of 14,205. The local team wins the league title and their are about 5000 empty seats? That is embarrassing.

How can a city that barley supports their minor league team, be worthy of a major league team?

If the citizens of Hamilton were true hockey fans, they would support their local team regardless of the league the team is affiliated with. The city of Hamilton has not earned the right to have an NHL team. The only way they could earn such a right is by supporting the Bulldogs and showing the NHL that they are loyal hockey fans. The citizens of Hamilton have not done this.

Sure, a number of people may have put down deposits today for "Hamilton Predators" tickets. But how many of those deposits are actually from Hamiltonians? I have a good feeling that the majority of deposits given today were from fans outside the Hamilton area; namely fans from Toronto and Buffalo.

If I'm running the NHL, I would seriously consider blocking the sale of the Nashville Predators to Jim Balsille and any subsequent move to Hamilton. If Hamiltonians refuse to support the Bulldogs, they don't deserve the Predators. Privileges are not given, they're earned.

Unfortunately, in reality, money has more value then public support. If the NHL believes that moving the Predators to Hamilton will lead to a large profit, then they will ignore the city's abusive relationship with the Bulldogs.

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Okay, he's not really dead. His television character is dead. And his television character hasn't been confirmed dead. Regardless, this is a really cool storyline. So far it's been captivating. However, these extreme circumstances can turn ugly if they botch the storyline by having Vince appear on television next week.

Meanwhile, the tri-branded draft is taking place. Talent from RAW, Smackdown, and ECW, will be moving to a new brand. This is the usual roster shakeup WWE conducts every year or two. I will withhold comments until the draft's last round on Sunday.

Friday, June 08, 2007

This is hockey in 2007. People want the NHL to grow; here's a consequence of this growth: a team from California - where it never snows - has won the Stanley Cup. I don't see anything wrong at all.

I'm glad for the Ducks. Sure, I picked the Sens to win, but Anaheim wanted to win and Ottawa played like they were just happy to be in the finals. I'm especially happy for two players: Teemu Selanne and JS Giguere.

Selanne is one of the top players of the last 15 years. He has won many awards except for one, the Stanley Cup. Now, he can look back at his career and be pleased with his efforts.

Giguere was in net when the Ducks lost the Cup final to New Jersey in 2003. Despite losing, he was named playoff MVP. It's nice to win the Conn Smythe trophy. However, this prestigious award means nothing if your team doesn't win the Stanley Cup. For Gigurre, winning the Cup is redemption.